The Future

It's been a long time since I wrote here. Not that I haven't written- it's been mostly to friends and politicians. Today, I decided to take my state rep up on his offer to allow emailed comments for a listening session he will be holding next week. Rep Kapenga will be at the Sussex Library on July 20 as described in the attached photo.

Here's a copy of what I sent him. I included the request to keep my address hidden as many folks on social media are being attacked for voicing their opinions to politicians. It's a rough world out there. 

I am sorry I won't be able to attend this listening session. It would be my first and I would love to, but I have a prior book club engagement. Thank you for allowing written comments of your constituents.

You ask what is most on our minds concerning the state of Wisconsin.

For me, it boils down to this: who is on our team?

If it includes kids, we should ensure all kids have bountiful supplies, healthy schools, plenty of quality teachers, and job opportunities after they graduate.

If it includes Black and Brown people, we should make sure our criminal justice system doesn't single them out for judgment. If a young white woman gets arrested for drug dealing and having a weapon, she should get the same court care and sentencing as a young Black person.

If it includes rich and poor, both should contribute what they can to our overall society. For the very poor, it's really not worth the cost of collecting. Wealthy folks should pay into the system in such fashions that follow the old adage: for those with more means, more is expected. We have spent 40 years trying out trickle-down. It hasn't worked. We need to change our ways.

If it includes folks with medical and/or mental conditions, they shouldn't be expected to go broke or work tirelessly just to pay for their medical needs. If human life is truly sacred, we should support ALL of it with universal physical health and mental health care.

If it includes the elderly*, we should create incentives to support them. Middle-aged folks are left trying to support their parents and raise kids at the same time. If they are unable, the elderly suffer. Again, if human life is sacred, we should create systems that support that. Youth/elderly campuses are just one idea. *And that idea of "elderly" must include *all* elderly.

If it includes our land, air, and water and all the species that reside therein, we should establish and administer laws to protect them. PFAs are an abomination we know must be stopped. All people should have clean food, water, and air. Our biodiversity relies on those things as well.

If it includes everyone, we should all have easy access to voting rights- rights that are fundamental to our representative democracy. My choices should have as much of a chance of being picked as yours. The game cannot be rigged through restrictive voting rules and/or gerrymandering.

Thank you again for allowing this sharing. As a constituent, I am grateful. I trust my address will not be made public.

It's Weird. But it Shouldn't Be.

Overcast winter weather can give you plenty of time to think. I’ve been thinking about feelings and perspectives a lot lately. Since January 20, I and many I know have felt differently than they have for the last few years. Some have slept better. Some think the world is over. It all has to do with US politics, and I felt compelled to list a few things about life right now. 

President Biden hit the ground running. According to federalregistry.com, Biden has recorded 24 EO’s so far. 

• EO 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad

• EO 14007: President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

• EO 14006: Reforming Our Incarceration System To Eliminate the Use of Privately Operated 

• EO 14005: Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America's Workers

• EO 14004: Enabling All Qualified Americans To Serve Their Country in Uniform

• EO 14003: Protecting the Federal Workforce

• EO 14002: Economic Relief Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic

• EO 14001: A Sustainable Public Health Supply Chain

• EO 14000: Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers

• EO 13999: Protecting Worker Health and Safety

• EO 13998: Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel

• EO 13997: Improving and Expanding Access to Care and Treatments for COVID-19

• EO 13996: Establishing the COVID-19 Pandemic Testing Board and Ensuring a Sustainable Public Health Workforce for COVID-19 and Other Biological Threats 

• EO 13995: Ensuring an Equitable Pandemic Response and Recovery

• EO 13994: Ensuring a Data-Driven Response to COVID-19 and Future High-Consequence Public Health Threats

• EO 13993: Revision of Civil Immigration Enforcement Policies and Priorities

• EO 13992: Revocation of Certain Executive Orders Concerning Federal Regulation

• EO 13991: Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing

• EO 13990: Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science To Tackle the Climate Crisis

• EO 13989: Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel

• EO 13988: Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation

• EO 13987: Organizing and Mobilizing the United States Government To Provide a Unified and Effective Response To Combat COVID-19 and To Provide United States Leadership on Global Health and Security

• EO 13986: Ensuring a Lawful and Accurate Enumeration and Apportionment Pursuant to the Decennial Census

• EO 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government

It’s weird to see so many topics that support so many different people and our environment. But it shouldn't be.

The CDC has revamped their COVID19 screens and added new reports, including a daily community profile report that is currently 33 pages. In it, Wisconsin is now described as a “yellow” state with prolonged high risk of spread. It’s good to see that all our parameters (cases, deaths, positive percentages, new hospital admits, percent beds used, percent ICU beds used) are trending downward. Unfortunately, testing is also going down. Hopefully neither the new fulltime face-to-face school in 6th-12th grade in the WSD that started this week, nor the attempts of our state legislature to remove Governor Evers’s emergency orders (including, but not exclusively, his mask mandate) throughout the state, won’t negatively impact those data trends. Alas, we’ve lost 61 residents in Waukesha County since 1/14 when I last tracked weekly figures. That’s more than 3 a day. In Wisconsin, for every 100 folks who are hospitalized, 24 won’t make it. 

It’s weird to see so much data on the CDC website regarding COVID-19. But it shouldn’t be. 

The White House has established regular press briefings and COVID pandemic briefings. In addition, all agencies have been directed to speak clearly and regularly to the public about what is going on in their areas. The WH transcripts are all posted in a timely fashion on their website. On January 29, Press Secretary Jen Psaki gave a heads up for a trial of giving Biden’s upcoming week’s schedule. 

“Next Monday, the President will meet with the Secretary of State at the State Department.

On Tuesday, President Biden will deliver remarks and sign an executive order advancing his priority to modernize our immigration system.

And Friday is, of course, Jobs Day, and the President will deliver remarks about the economy.”

It’s weird seeing such transparency and breadth of work in the White House. But it shouldn’t be. 

In EO 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, the following wording on scientific autonomy is included:

“President Biden will also sign an important Presidential Memorandum on scientific integrity to send a clear message that the Biden-Harris Administration will protect scientists from political interference and ensure they can think, research, and speak freely to provide valuable information and insights to the American people.”

It’s weird to see explicit shout-outs to the autonomy of science and scientists. But it shouldn’t be. 

A number of cabinet members have been confirmed. While they may have histories within the Democratic Party, they passed through the process fairly quickly and Janet Yellen in particular received strong bipartisan support. 

Antony Blinken: SECRETARY OF STATE 

Janet Yellen: SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY 

Gen. Lloyd Austin: SECRETARY OF DEFENSE 

Avril Haines: National Intelligence Director

It’s weird knowing none have direct family or business ties to the current president. But it shouldn’t be.

It’s weird not seeing the president golfing and tweeting rants. But it shouldn’t be.

It’s weird seeing the president bow his head and go to church services and memorials to those who have died to COVID19. But it shouldn’t be.

It’s weird thinking we may actually see shifts at the federal level toward policies that will support people and not “business” and those who control the majority of wealth. But it shouldn't be. 

It’s weird feeling some hope. But it shouldn’t be.

6 Choices to Improve our Speech Game

As I’m always going on about how we need each other, and how I insist that we’re stronger together, I thought it was time that I examine 6 specific choices we can make that will allow this to happen. I’m interested in physical and mental health care, education and k-pop. I believe this actions can help in all these arenas- and beyond.

 PLEASE NOTE: If you want to just skip the reading, scroll down to the awesome video from Teaching Tolerance on Countering Online Hate Speech.

1. Believe everyone deserves space to speak.

Whatever your size, shape, skin tone, sex, sexual orientation or preferences, religion, political opinions, ethnicity- you name it: you deserve a space to speak. We may not agree with each other, but we both deserve the opportunity to state our cases. If we follow the other ideas I list below, we should be able to coexist. We may get along life BFFs. We may choose to disagree and have little to do with each other. Or, we may choose to see where we can work together despite our differences. Whatever the case, neither of us should try to silence the other.

2. Acknowledge everyone deserves space to be.

Ever want to just run away from it all and hide? Believe that you deserve the space you’re in. Breathe in that fact and exhale the fear and/or anger talking. Ever feel like that other person should just go and die? Believe that they deserve the space they’re in just as much. Breathe in that truth and exhale the fear and/or anger talking. You and that “other” person are both human beings. As bystanders, if we see someone trying to silence another, we should calmly and directly say, “I think __ has the right to their opinion and I think what you’re saying is hurtful/sexist/etc.”. If we see someone run in fear, we should calmly and directly say, “I think you have the right to your opinion. I told them I think what they said was hurtful/racist/etc.”.

3. Think and speak with “we” in mind.

No one likes to be looked down upon. We should talk in ways that keep us looking at each other eye-to-eye. You may not believe it, but the way we say things affects how others take in what we say. Choices like “You people need to…” and “You women should just…” kill respect, light fuses and try to place the speaker as someone high up in a fortress, looking down on those they are addressing. Switching it around to “I think we could…” or “I disagree with that opinion…” will still get our point across. I used both “you” and “I/we” in this paragraph. Which sentences made you feel more more relaxed or more defensive?

4. Choose to meet face-to-face.

 I’m really tired of the phrase “keyboard warrior”. As I’m exploring in my book for those with type 1 diabetes, the term “warrior” does not need to mean a vicious, cut-throat and cloaked vigilant. It’s true that we can do/say things behind the anonymity of a screen that we might not do in public. That’s why meeting with and talking with people directly is vital to our humanity. The students behind the March for Our Lives are doing this over the summer, with their cross-country bus tour Road to Change. Coffee shops, concerts, conventions- even video conferencing like VLive or on our phones- anywhere were we see and hear each other in real-time can build our connections with others, helping us see the other points I’ve outlined so far. The keyboard time can be turned toward building those relationships, too, so we become warriors standing in solidarity against hardships and things, not each other.

5. Understand that opinions are biases, not facts.

I’ve emphasized “opinion” here, because what we think and feel cause most of our wild behaviors. What about facts? Facts can be used as weapons to stoke opinions. I’m reminded of the amazing reply that Adam Savage gave to the question, “What’s your biggest science no-no?”. His reply: “Bias.”. Facts shouldn’t be affected our attitudes; at their root, they simply are what they are. It’s vital to look at facts calmly and ask ourselves what is the exact truth involved, and what is what we feel or wish. I can say, “---- are kings!” and cite data to support. The data are facts proving some relative influence in the world, but my original statement is purely biased opinion. I can say, “Politicians are killing people with T1D” and cite data on insulin prices. The prices are facts but my original statement is simply my opinion to get my point across that we as a country need to look at health care. We should clearly label each other’s and our own biased opinions.

6. Instead of seeking a victory, practice forgiving. Or at least, forgetting.

When we feel attacked, our instinct can be to retaliate or run. When we read something that ticks us off, our knee jerk reaction might be to “put that person in their place”. Even when we reach out to defend someone in need, we need to remember these other points I’ve outlined and not seek another’s annihilation. Hurting others keeps that destructive cycle going and should not be an used- even if we feel justified and tempted to use it in the defense of someone else.

Forgiveness. If we can’t manage that, let’s choose forgetting and calmly walking away. Those options remind us that we all make mistakes and there’s hope for eventual change. They remind that we all have baggage. That none of us is superior to another. That no one is a lost cause and we can all someday, somewhere, help someone out and do something good.

We’re never going to eliminate all the negatives in humanity. But we can reduce their influence by the choices we make every day. As in parenting, kickback from those soaked in these destructive behaviors will occur when we begin. However, if we persist, support and work together, we can make positive changes.

Helpful links from Teaching Tolerance:

Teaching Tolerance Countering Online Hate Speech This is a great video with specific examples and sample responses to use when we encounter hate speech online.

How Does "Fake" News Become News? This is a light-hearted but informational video detailing how confirmation bias and filter bubbles affect what information we tend to believe and spread. If your social media are negative, you have built it that way. With help from this video, you can change it, too!

What Will I Try in 2018? Apples & Spring

Today, I'm sharing the full Week 17 essay from my book, Dear Teachers. As we are surrounded at this time of year with the bright lights and festivities of the holidays, it can be a reminder of the incredible symphony we're so fortunate to be surrounded by.

We can take time now to ask ourselves: 

What will I try in 2018? 

Or, as the fine folks at www.WomenEd.org put it: 

How will I be 10% braver in the coming year?

Best wishes to you all today and into our tomorrows- which can be our spring, if we choose. Together, we can do more and be more.

Do you know how many different varieties of apples there are?

It’s a trick question*. Apples can change their identity with each egg and pollen combination. If one really wants another Gala, one can’t rely on the seeds. You must take a graft from a Gala apple tree.

Think of the wonderful diversity in our classrooms, homes and towns. There’s a kaleidoscope of personalities, looks, interests, ethnicities, traditions and abilities. We should rejoice at that depth and breadth.

I love cultural studies at school or field trips that invite exploration of views that might not be our own. Crafting a piece of art, learning of another’s history or tasting a food that is new can inspire and excite a person for years to come. I attribute a high school Asian Studies class as the catalyst for my lifelong exploration of Asian cultures and am forever grateful to that teacher for sharing her passions.

Not everything is for everyone. 

Exploring the unknown includes learning to practice positive ways to say when something is currently beyond our reach. We all have limits and that’s a great learning moment for our students as well. I can’t handle sushi (yet**) but I do enjoy painting a springtime cherry blossom branch.

Winter is for minimalism. Spring is an opulently designed stage whose displays of fantastical colors, textures and scents are almost overwhelming. The richness can make our senses purr with delight. Again, diversity gives us a richer experience than simply having one thing all the time.

Let’s enjoy the wonderful orchestra of life!

*As an editing note, there are approximately 7,500 known varieties of apples in the world, according to The University of Illinois Extension.

** As a second editing note, I'd like to share my other essay on the power of YET, Yearn, Embrace & Try.

We're All Mutants!

I have diabetes and one of my sons has a birthmark that makes his hair all different shades and textures. I had a medical professional tell me once that we all have about 7 things “wrong” with us. That idea always interested me. It was always reassuring in a weird way.

I’ve been thinking and writing a lot about how we’re all together in this thing called Life- that we have enough things in common that we can (and should) get along. I’ve tried to focus on the positives (Look, we all have someone we love!) or the humorous (Hey! We all have to poop!). I began to wonder if I looked at the not-so-upbeat side, maybe I’d have a more convincing argument.

I dug into it a bit more and it turns out that yes, we’re all messed up! Rob Stein wrote Perfection Is Skin Deep: Everyone Has Flawed Genes for NPR back in 2012 where he outlined some research on the subject of genetic mutation that had been done up to that point. This research included estimates based on one study of 179 individuals which stated that the average human has about 400 defects to his/her genes and at least a couple of those defects are known to be connected with specific ailments.

The study also indicated that although the test subjects had major defects, they were all functioning as healthy people. Their genes read concerns for failure but their lives told of success.

That reminded me of something my own father said to me in his later years as he struggled with the ravages of the lung disease, emphysema. I was a depressed and frustrated youth at the time and probably bemoaning how I should die because of some failure I perceived in myself. He looked at me and smiled, saying something like this: “You’ll be amazed at how strong your body’s spirit to live is. It will stop at almost nothing to survive.”

My take-home messages on all of this?

Our bodies want to be here.

They are our vehicles to experience and enjoy this world. For that reason alone, we should treat them with respect and support them with good choices and healthy living. Our very DNA gives us ways to cope with imperfection in unbelievable ways; stop-gaps and redundancies that allow us to succeed. Let’s not stand in its way through unsafe and unhealthy choices.

We all have problems so we should truly accept that fact.

None of us asked for the genetic roll of the dice we received. We should recognize that and support each other. That includes operating a health care system that acknowledges and helps alleviate the pain and suffering any one of us could face, and does regularly, through no fault of our own. That also includes offering all our children the best education system we can to help them reach their potential and succeed.

There are “problems”. And then there are real problems.

The very wackiness of our genetic code allows for an amazing variety in humanity. My son’s hair does not affect his ability to thrive- it’s just a part of him. The worst thing it does is make his hair stylist’s job a bit more difficult. OK, a lot more. Hair, eyes, skin, even how we learn- the more we just accept and work with how we look and are, the more time and resources we have for dealing with the real problems.

We’re all mutants. Let’s be proud of it together!